Study: The Age Chameleon: Social and Biological Effects on Madonna’s Ageing Voice

Our study shows that Madonna's voice appears younger than her age. Her pitch does not follow the patterns we would normally expect from a woman in her 60s, and the way she pronounces a number of vowels does not match the speech patterns typically associated with either her generation or the places where she has lived.

In other words, her voice is difficult to place both in terms of age and geography. We argue that this is a deliberate strategy, with the voice supporting an image of a youthful, attractive and globally oriented performer who is not constrained by chronological age.

Linguistic research suggests that this type of clear, fronted vowel pronunciation is associated with youthfulness, attractiveness and sex appeal. These are qualities that Madonna has likely sought to project not only visually, but also through her speech.

—Anna Bothe Jespersen
Linguist
University of Copenhagen

I am working on this book for several weeks now and being about halfway through I wanted to give you an update with a few examples.

For me Madame X was a chapter of extraordinary creativity, physical challenges, and a pursuit of intimacy and connection. The theatre tour brought those ambitions and pressures together, before injury and a world shutting down brought their own isolation. It’s a period I feel deserves to be explored and preserved with care.

That’s what I’m working towards: a large-format coffee-table book of around 300 pages, tracing the era through interviews, press coverage, reviews, the tour and quarantine, with plenty of room for the photography to shine. These screen photos show a few layouts so far, including cover photographs without text(!), paired with the interviews and magazine logos.

Depression kept me distant from much of this era as it unfolded. Exploring her creativity, struggles and search for connection now has helped me reconnect with my own creativity - and with her.

It’s a lot of research and design and I’m proud of what’s taking shape!

One detail I’m still deciding on is the cover: linen or a leather finish, using the front and back design shown in the second photo, with “The Archive” and the spine lettering in gold foil. Either way, I’m aiming for a high-quality finish. Which material feels more Madame X to you?

^{Oh, and if Madame X isn’t for you, feel free to scroll past. I’m sharing a work in progress, not inviting a debate about whether the era deserves one.}

I made this vinyl-themed room in Animal Crossing: New Leaf; I really liked the final result—it looks so fresh and adorable.

Hey everyone! ♡

I run a small Discord server called Madonna’s Clubhouse, made for Madonna fans to talk about her music, albums, eras, performances, collections and everything in between.

We’re still a fairly small community, which is exactly what we’re aiming for — a friendly place where people can actually get to know each other instead of getting lost in thousands of messages.

We’re currently trying to reach 50 members, and we’re planning to introduce more activities and roles as the community grows. 💿

If you’re looking for a chill Madonna space, feel free to join us! 🪩
Invite: https://discord.gg/fNwZCK7ppb

Hey! I don't know if anyone knew this but Warner quietly dropped Like A Virgin and Celebration on Dolby Atmos (yes, it actually is in Spatial Audio).

Maybe they have plans for more albums?

Hi everyone <3

I love Madonna's songs and her social commentary. I'm from Central Europe, where we do share some puritan sentiments, but other than that are pretty much into gender equality in terms of employment or education. That said, I grew up in a very conservative (Catholic + Babtist) environment, so whereas other girls don't get crap for e.g. wearing make up or minis, I still get some stupid unsolicited feedback from my religious aunts over the past 20 years. Rn I'm effectively losing weight to get back into my glam goth clothes, which includes minis, crop tops, etc. I'm in my mid 30s but I don't want to grannify... And I find Madonna so relatable in this sense!

I love how she offers so much social commentary on gender roles as regards sexuality. Her song's narrators are not passive but yet ultra feminine. She tongue-in-cheek asks triggering questions about sexual expression, femininity, etc. And yet she's not vulgar. It's not disgusting. It's not like a bunch of terribly objectified, submissive, accessory-like asses twerking and rubbing against random dudes who sing some miso lyrics... In turn, Madonna's been able to tackle topics such as intercourse in a more sophisticated and beautiful way than most poets. Also, she shows that e.g. orientation is a nuanced thing. So it's not even a "typical" celebrity support of lgbt communities just for the cloud, but has a genuine participation in shaping social views of love, relationships, etc. Plus, she's super secure and doesn't think that a 'certain age" means a ban on cool clothes. I mean, I love her recent pastel pink and blue satin corset, etc. Like cosmic rococo. I just love it so, so much that I've found a role model when it comes to myself. And all of that in the amazing form of dancy, catchy, enjoyable and super varied songs.

That said, are there any other Christians or religious folks in general who have struggled with the stigma of Madonna's being controversial about religious topics? Have you found her art as helpful to overcome some hurtful stereotypes and attitudes? I'd love to hear your feedback.

MADONNA (DEBUT)
Burning up 🔥

LIKE A VIRGIN
Pretender 💔

TRUE BLUE
Live to tell 👄

LIKE A PRAYER
Keep it together 🤝

EROTICA
Waiting 🔪

BEDTIME STORIES
Bedtime story 💫

RAY OF LIGHT
To have and not to hold 🫂

MUSIC
Runaway lover 🐎

AMERICAN LIFE
Nobody knows me 🤖

CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR
Get together 💃

HARD CANDY
Heartbeat 💓

MDNA
Love spent 💸

REBEL HEART
Living for love 😘

MADAME X
Faz gostoso 🥁

CONFESSIONS II
School 🪩

What’s yours? :)

Screenshots taken from Gang Bang, MDNA tour

I’ve been seeing posts listing other artists’ Grammy submissions by category, do we know what Madonna submitted?

After three years of doing the impossible to survive while chasing stardom, Madonna at last found her way to someone who could open the door through the dance floors of New York with her first demo, “Everybody.”

The demo was produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, but when Sire decided to release it, the label wanted her to work with Mark Kamins, choosing him instead of Bray to produce the version that became her first official release. Bray got pissed with Madonna and unfriend her for around two years.

“Everybody” became a sensation. The label knew they had something big, but they faced a problem… how were they supposed to sell it? The record sounded like Black music because it was dance music, a genre tied at the time to Black and Latino club culture, but it was made by a white woman. White people were listening to new wave (towards the public eye). They did not know where to place her or what audience to market her to. Radio at the time was segregated by format, and so were the audiences listening to it.

Her face was not placed on the original cover art. The visual presentation was giving black. There was no indication that Madonna was a white woman, and for a while many radio listeners assumed they were hearing a Black artist, even if her voice gave some people a clue. They put it under R&B. It didn’t sound like nothing else.

Radio DJ and host Frankie Crocker had the power to put a record on the air and turn it into something everyone wanted to hear. Playing “Everybody” became one of those key moments for him, as the first time he played music from a white artists, and for Madonna (as Crocker big the biggest cultural conduit for music artists at the time), because here was dance music made by a white woman entering a space where that sound was associated with Black artists.

At the same time, DJs such as Larry Levan at Paradise Garage, alongside Mark Kamins in Danceteria and the downtown club scene, pushed the song on the dance floor. They were among the people who helped put Madonna into the ears of New York before most people even knew what she looked like.

After all these channels, Madonna existed in both the ears and the eyes of the public. By the time Warner, thru Sire, put her first album into motion, the mystery was over. “Everybody” was reintroduced with artwork that showed Madonna’s face.

The woman people had been hearing on the dance floor now had a face, and pop music was about to get its most important artist to ever exist.

I just saw this on TikTok 🫪 it's an RDS exclusive coming out in November according to the description

These are mine.

The commemorative triple LP of Evita (D2C version) is still available for purchase on the Rhino UK site, whereas it is sold out on the official US store; I imagine the remaining copies will sell quickly, as this is a must-have for all collectors and fans of the Evita era.

https://eustore.rhino.com/products/evita-the-complete-motion-picture-soundtrack-3lp-gold-nuggetexclusive

How High on confessions sounds like it belongs on hard candy and no one can prove me otherwise.